Wartime construction methods typically involved the use of temporary materials for many building types. In 1942, with the increase in bomber operations in world war ii, work began on raf mepal between the villages of sutton and mepal. What follows is only a representative selection of the available reading on the subject of cambridgeshire and its aviation heritage. Baker crashed at castle combe airfield after suffering aileron failure.
Aug 21, 20 we aim to carry out a dedicated project on the history of the airfield over the next few years, watch this space for more details. Memories of raf witchford wins a local history book award. There is a site map of mepal airfield at the back of the book,and a picture of. Airfield publications a specialist publisher in aviation. Churchills most secret airfield first edition by bernard o connor isbn. The hatfield aerodrome history trail was officially opened on 24 november 2010. This book takes you, raid by raid, through the authors tour of operational duty over the last five months of 1944. List of articles in category airfields and geography. We specialise in publishing and selling books about raf bomber command in the second world war and related topics. Since passing his gft for a private pilots license on the 30th june 1989 in the cessna 152 gwacb at wycombe air park the gates of opportunity opened and he has, for example, flown an aircraft in every country in western europe registered in each country. Raf mepal in the second world war 19391945 the wartime. British aviation archaeological council research topics.
Mepal was built to class a specification, as a satellite for waterbeach further to the north. The history of harrington airfield harrington aviation. Taking off from raf mepal, cambridgeshire joining some 35 aircraft on mine laying operations in various french ports. Jan 01, 1999 airfield, by jeanette ingold takes place in muddy springs, texas during times of the depression. Fenland history on facebook is a place where people can share and seek information about the cambridgeshire fens, past and present. A history of royal air force sealand military airfield history. It appears that the airfield was probably mothballed until 1957 when a thor missile base was established in the northeast part. The airfield opened in 1943 and remained operational for the rest of the war. Fairoaks airport book reveals history of airfield earmarked for 1,500home garden village author michael jones carefully planned and researched the book, which is filled with more than 600 black. One of the smaller villages of the isle of ely, mepal lies at the western end of the isle on what was once the shore between the fenland and the higher ground of the isle. Further reading cambridgeshire aviation heritage trail.
Situated between the villages of mepal and sutton, the wartime airfield was equipped with three concrete runways and three aircraft hangars two t2 and one b1 types. The aircraft overshot the runway with the undercarriage collapsing. History of harrington airfield harrington airfield, known as station 179 during ww2, was built by the 826th and 852nd engineer battalions of the us army as a class a airfield intended for heavy bomber use, the main runway length being approximately a mile. Nos 7 and 49 stayed for a time but eventually left for upwood on 29 july 1946 and mepal was immediately put under care and maintenance. A pictorial history is available for purchase in the raf museum and at the national trust shop.
This summer month, shes in texas with her aunt clo and uncle grif. Sutton or suttonintheisle is village and civil parish in the county of cambridgeshire in england, near the city of ely. Thanks to chris for putting together this post on the mepal airfield and. I would like to thank the airfield information exchange and the carpetbagger aviation museum for helping out with pictures and information. The only aircraft lost on this operation although another 75 squadron stirling flown by po. This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its. The airfield site has now returned entirely to agricultural use. A history of royal air force sealand military airfield history ferguson, aldon p on. It is intended to bring together the various sources of information at events, squadrons, aircraft and personnel that have been involved in the site.
Cambridgeshire aviation heritage trail about the county. Raf mepal in the second world war, the wartime memories project. It gives a real insight into life on a wartime airfield and you get to know many of. Apr 07, 2014 mepal was built to class a specification, as a satellite for waterbeach further to the north. Each airfield is described with a short history, firstperson accounts, and information on airfield buildings, illustrated with photographs and maps, making this book a complete and unique singlevolume illustrated reference book covering all of the rafs frontline airfields in. Jun 23, 2009 steeped in history for more than 85 years, north weald airfield is an ideal place to start your aviation heritage tour. The history of an essex airfield paperback october 15, 2011. He was shot down over holland, the only survivor of his crew. The airfield is now the site of the annual kent county show, but two memorials stand as poignant reminders of the epic events that transpired in this otherwise sleepy corner of britain. Airfield, by jeanette ingold takes place in muddy springs, texas during times of the depression.
Today it bypasses the village, sweeping through the site of a war time airfield and carried over the rivers and washes by a modern viaduct 1984. Raf mepal, and includes a useful map to indicate the airfield layout. The wartime memories project raf mepal during the second world war. We aim to carry out a dedicated project on the history of the airfield over the next few years, watch this space for more details. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. During the war it was used by bomber command as an operational bomber base. It provides a good history of 20th century warfare set against a background of politics or is it the other way round. Airfield publications publish books on uk airfields, recent publications include raf kirton in lindsey, burtonwood, woodvale and 611 west lancashire squadron, royal auxiliary air force, raf brampton and raf waterbeach. The book tells the fascinating history of raf defford from when part of the croome estate was first requisitioned in 1941 through the. I took this photo on the old sutton to mepal road, it is actually part of the north west to south east runway. Block of greenstone inscribed auckland dug from near new. History first recorded at the start of the th century mepals history has always been tied up with that of the fens and the village is less than ten metres above sea level. During the 1960s, the sutton gault hamlet was the site of one of the worlds first tracked hovercraft, designed by eric laithwaite.
Mepal and witchford has many interesting photos and maps. Approx 24 pages, photos, history, plans, softback with stapled binding. My name is phil and i live very close to the old mepal airfield in cambridgeshire uk this was home to the 75 nz bomber squadron. A book on military airfield architecture written by me was published by haynes in 1996 which was based on the 1994 research carried out for english heritage, although at the time and outside of arg there was still very little interest in airfield architecture and history so accordingly the book was quickly remaindered. It gives a real insight into life on a wartime airfield and you get to know many of the young airmen and women who lived an worked there. At mepal it may have been a 17th century military road and is marked on some maps as iretons way. An okinawan conscripted labor battalion, 580 strong, arrived at ie in february 1945.
It opened in april 1943 and it functioned as a substation for 33 base in waterbeach along with witchford airfield as part of no. Moors exhaustively researched book is the first to tell the full story of the part detling played in the defence of the realm and the history of flight. Our growing list of titles focuses on the aircraft, squadrons and above all the men and women who shaped the legend that endures to this day. Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of ludham airfield. In this context, probably the most useful books to start with are. The intheisle suffix refers to the fact that the village is part of the isle of ely, once an island in the fens and also an administrative county until 1965. Raf honiley in the second world war 19391945 the wartime. The ghost cropmarks showing the airfield s runway layout are still visible on some aerial photographs and at certain times of the year. The sites long history has culminated in its latest incarnation as the iwm duxford museum. The a142 ran across the middle of the site, it was closed off for construction and traffic diverted away through the nearby village.
When his mother has an accident the lad is sent to dr barnardos in cambridge, then shipped to australia. The 1st of september 2019 is the wartime memories projects 20th birthday. Im sure many people have memories or stories to tell of the history of mepal airfield, we would be delighted to hear from you and will update the blog with any new information. If the book had purely been about the archaeology of airfields then it would have been a lot thinner, but it is padded out with the aforementioned history, although i didnt mind that other than its not what i expected.
Its design was the standard wartime 3 runway layout with the main runway. In the following lists of books, a unit or airfield may appear in chapters or sections rather than the whole book. It was an expansion airfield whose construction commenced in july 1942 and opened in june 1943. Lockyer who has written extensively on the airfield in her three books english airfields 1940 41, 194145 and 194562. Cambridgeshire aviation heritage trail mepal and witchford. In september 2018 i posted about what was then a newly published book i will find you is a story of the young son of a new zealand airman based at mepal who fails to return from a wartime bombing raid. A totally different but equally useful activity sees the east anglian working newfoundlands club train these dogs at a lake on the airfield. Welcome to raf witchford under bomber command during wwii. During world war 2 mepal airfield was an expansion airfield, the construction of which commenced in july 1942. Each airfield is described with a short history, firstperson accounts, and information on airfield buildings, illustrated with photographs and maps, making this book a complete and unique singlevolume illustrated reference book covering all of the rafs frontline airfields in the uk during world war 2. Many former ww2 airfield sites are within easy reach along with important aviation heritage sites. We aim to carry out a dedicated project on the history of the airfield.
Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. It is a bomber pilots story, but it is also about the grinding operational pressure, the brotherhood of the crew and fears of injury and death. For mail order please get in touch using our contact dahg form. Display home of the raf witchford collection of memorabilia. This site is dedicated to the history of manston airfield, in kent from its first official usage back in 1916. Ely offers the perfect runway for your journey of discovery as you will. The book is dedicated to all those who lost their lives during world war ii, especially those from raf witchford and raf mepal and is linked to the witchford display of memorabilia. The airfield was built in 1942 and opened in july 1943. Cambridgeshire aviation heritage trail further reading. Betty has lived part of each year with one of her three aunts, rotating among them every few months. Since childhood he has been fascinated by all aspects of aviation history. Raf spilsby is commemorated by an airfield memorial standing just outside great steeping and by plaques in the all saints church great steeping. He was also one of the 1500 prisoners to walk from poland back into germany to stalag 111. Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of mepal.
Former raf mepal former thor missile base mepal airfield was built to class a specification as one of the two satellite stations for the waterbeach cluster. Aug 14, 20 during world war 2 mepal airfield was an expansion airfield, the construction of which commenced in july 1942. Mepal was loosely maintained after world war two by initially the raf and then in the 1950s the americans until no 1 squadron reformed on 22 july 1959 when it became home to the units thor nuclear missiles. It first hosted 75 nz squadron flying short stirlings and later avro lancasters. Mepal airfield was an airfield near the village of mepal, cambridgeshire, england. I am looking into the history of the airfield and the people who served their.
Energy power resources limited runs the largest straw burning power station in the world at mepal. It also covers cambridge and the rest of cambridgeshire. A history of royal air force sealand military airfield. The aircraft, piloted by amateur cyclist and hangglider pilot bryan allen, won the first kremer prize on august 23, 1977 by completing a figureeight course specified by the royal aeronautical society, at minter field in shafter, ca. It was used towards the end of the second world war to prepare avro lancaster bombers squadrons such as no. Many people new to the subject have become interested because of a family connection they are researching. The complete history of ellsworth air force base, south dakota 050122 history of dyess air force base. A list of the books, magazines and other publications referred to over the years. As part of the 32d army plan to convert members of special units into ground combat troops, the 50th airfield battalion, which was composed largely of veterans of manchuria, became the 50th specially established infantry battalion. Bomber command books is the sales site for mention the war ltd.
Slightly off thread, for dragon rapide,there is a good book on a lancaster crew that flew from mepal with 75 squadron luck and a lancaster by harry yates,dfc,airlife 1999. He rotated the turret, flipped open the doors and in pain and desperation fell backwards into the night without a parachute. First used by the rfc in 1917, the airfield continued to be used as a fighter aircraft base throughout the 1930s and 1940s. It was always intended to be a bomber airfield, being part of no. These books are available at chilbolton village stores or at the museum of army flying at middle wallop or occasionally.
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